The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Academic Dishonesty Essay e

The Relationship Between Attitudes Towards Academic Dishonesty, Infidelity, and Normalization of Unethical Behavior According to the work by McCabe (1999), academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating on a test) in educational institutions (i.e., high school, college) is considered a norm by some students. Furthermore, some students believe that it is up to adults (i.e., parents, teachers) to deal with the issue of academic dishonesty. These attitudes towards academic dishonesty are representative of one issue schools deal with in our society regarding students. Attitudes towards academic dishonesty do not just affect the classrooms they, also translate to other areas of students’ lives. For instance, Estep and Olson (2011) found a positive correlation between attitudes towards academic dishonesty and attitudes towards infidelity. This finding suggests that if students approve of cheating on a test they are more likely to approve of cheating on a partner. However, Estep and Olson point out that it is easier for a student to cheat on a test than on a partner because an instructor is less likely than a partner to confront the student. In other words, there seems to be no consequences when cheating on a test in comparison to cheating on a partner. In his study, McCabe explains that students portrayed teachers as adults who enabled them to cheat because they do not discourage the behavior. For instance, one student in the focus group conducted by McCabe mentioned that there are rules regarding plagiarism, but most of the time they are not enforced. Similarly, in a study conducted at a university in Taiwan Chun-Hua and Yang (2011), suggest that students’ attitudes towards cheating and pressures from peers to cheat are not major influence... ...., & Olson, J.N. (2011). Parenting style, academic dishonesty, and infidelity in college students. College Student Journal, 45(4), 830-838. Hackathorn, J., Mattingly, B. A., Clark, E. M., & Mattingly, M. B. (2011). Practicing what you preach: Infidelity attitudes as a predictor of fidelity. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 30, 299-311. doi:10.1007/s12144-011-9119-9 Hsiao, C., & Yang, C. (2011). The impact of professional unethical beliefs on cheating intention. Ethics & Behavior, 21(4), 301-316. doi:10.1080/10508422.2011.585597 McCabe, D. (1999). Academic dishonesty among high school students. Adolescence, 34(136), 681-687. Vail-Smith, K., Whetstone, L., & Knox, D. (2010). The illusion of safety in â€Å"monogamous† undergraduate relationships. American Journal of Health Behavior, 34, 12-20. doi:10.5993/AJHB.34.1.2